Reviews

Super Taranta! is the second SideOneDummy full-length effort from those wacky gypsy punks, lead by Eugene Hutz, known as Gogol Bordello. As far as fans are concerned, a new Gogol Bordello album usually just means more songs in the pool for the band's renowned live shows. But that's not to say there haven't been some good ones along the way, and Super Taranta! stands as a testament to the great (and unique) songwriting of the band, which is better than ever.
 
Super Taranta! opens with Hutz delivering a few lines without accompaniment, and then quickly adding the sound of the full band on "Ultimate." About halfway through the song, it picks up to a fast punk pace and the setting for a diverse album has been laid.
 
"Wonderlust King" follows and it stands as one of the best tracks on the album, with its driving and catchy, offbeat anecdotes of travel. The next few tracks are equally as exciting, with songs like "Super Theory of Super-Everything" presenting a witty assailing of religion. Overall, there seems to be a lot more of the cultural influence this time around, and just a little less heavy on the punk sound of Gypsy Punks. The creativity of the band shines through, producing incredibly interesting sounds.
 
The chorus of "Tribal Connection" will make fans want to sing along; "No can do this. No can do that. What the hell can you do, my friend?" And there are plenty of other memorable moments. The solid songwriting continues throughout, but the excitement of the album recedes into a lull around the middle, before really picking up again with "Your Country" and "American Wedding" near the end. Well…a lull in comparison to other, more-exciting Gogol Bordello tunes. In comparison to the music scene at large, Gogol Bordello is still one of the most refreshing, dynamic, interesting, and original bands out there.
 
If nothing else, Super Taranta! could have been fourteen more choices for the live set, but instead, Gogol Bordello has turned it into what may be their best effort to date. While it's not perfect, it is funnier, more exciting, and more…um…gypsy…than ever, with a lot to say about culture, both through the lyrics and their sound. Love 'em or just don't get 'em, there's still no band as dynamic and original as Gogol Bordello.